Soul for Soul
by ThePieIsHere
Summary: When Allen dies in a horrific car crash, Link sacrifices his own soul to bring back the young waiter who he hardly knows. But will he be able to keep his burden a secret, or will a certain red head find out how his friend rose back from the dead?


"Jesus."

The red haired boy clasped a hand over his mouth, staring in disbelief at the impossible.

"Lavi?"

The other simply blinked back at him. There was confusion on his face, like he didn't know what was wrong.

"You're…" He reached out a hand, lightly touching the dark scar. A small tingle graced his fingertips and gave proof that the entity was absolute. "You're really here…"

"Lavi?"

He turned away. How could he be back? How could…? No.

Something was wrong.

How was he here?

"Lavi, what's wrong?"

"You're dead. That's what's wrong."

OOOOOOOOooooOOOOOOOOOOOooOOO OOOOOooooOOOOOOOOOOOoooo.

Howard Link was a simple man. He didn't ask for much, which probably had to do with the fact that he didn't want much. He was a twenty year old assistant for a powerful man who owned half the city and made rather a pretty penny himself. What was more to really achieve?

He had everything already. A large house, an expensive car, the mass income that came with it, there were few things he wanted that he was unable to acquire.

And one of those things was Allen Walker.

Allen was a waiter at the local café he frequented twice a week, a boy of only sixteen with a quick gait and a lively smile. Link made sure he only went to the café during shifts when the Walker boy was working. The lad had even memorized his usual order at this point: black coffee with a small slice of peach pie. A delicious mix of bitter and sweet that came to be his relaxing break from the chaos that was his job. He shared few words with the boy, only order details and polite gestures such as "thank you" and "have a nice day," but there was something about him.

Maybe it was the way he smiled… Distant, slightly desperate, but fierce all the same. Maybe it was the exotic white hair color that naturally grew from the kid's scalp, or the sharp grey with hints of violet that swam in his eyes. Maybe he was just a lonely man who enjoyed the brief company of a polite waiter outside his cynical world of liars and politicians.

Maybe.

Today he was here on different terms though. He was not here for the usual coffee break. It wasn't a Tuesday or a Thursday between three and four 'o' clock. It wasn't business as it normally was. He was here for one thing and one thing only: communication. Or at least an attempt at it…

He was there on a Friday night, relatively late even, just at the end of his favorite waiter's shift. He had been blessed with a few brief spits of conversation already, enough to know the boy's schedule and that he walked a mile and a half every day to get from job to home.

He had a plan.

"Hey, you done?" Allen came by, flashed that grin and gestured to the empty plate and cup splayed out before the blond gentleman. "I gotta start wrapping up."

"Oh, uh yeah…" Link wiped his mouth with his napkin and stacked up the dishes to make easy clean up. "You uh… You walking home after this?"

"Me? Oh yeah." The younger male visibly huffed a bit, but resumed his cheery exterior. "It's a bit of a drag, but the busses are so unreliable around here and I probably won't have a car until late into my thirties." Allen forced a small chuckle and gathered up the dining materials.

Link nodded, staring intently at the tabletop. "I… I could offer you a ride… If you like. I Don't really, uh, have anything to do tonight… So if that's… If it's ok, I mean…"

"Really?" Allen perked up. "Oh man, that would really be a life saver! My legs are killing me…" The boy wiped his brow and relented a tired sigh. "I get off in ten, is that alright?"

Link looked up, surprised his offer had been accepted. "Ah, uh, yes! Yeah, that's no problem!"

The younger smiled and headed off, leaving Link to wring his hands together nervously in anticipation. Had his wish really been granted? He got the opportunity to drive the waiter home? What stroke of luck must have fallen upon him…

He gathered his keys, waiting patiently for Allen to return. He was not kept long as the boy returned in due time, adorning a big black overcoat. Link stood up, maybe a little too quickly, and cleared his throat.

"Sh-should we go?"

Allen grinned. "Yup! I don't plan to keep you too busy or anything."

Link nodded again, starting to feel more like a bobble head and less like a human being. "Yeah, ok.. Yeah let's go."

OOOOOOoooooooooOOOOOOooooooO OOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOooooo.

Link buckled his seatbelt and gripped the steering wheel, feeling his heart ramming against the inside of his chest. Oh man, he hadn't counted on Allen accepting… He inhaled through his nose deeply and exhaled through his mouth, relieving a bit of the pressure.

"You ok?"

He jumped a little having forgotten that Allen was in the car with him. "Uh, yeah… Sorry. Um.. Can you direct me?"

"No problem." Allen buckled himself and pointed to a street across from them. "Take a left out onto there and follow it for a bit."

Link started up the ignition and rolled out from his parking spot to follow his passenger's lead. "Do you usually walk home in the dark like this?"

"Yeah." Allen gave a little smile. "I'm used to it though, nothing bad ever happens to me. I'm just lucky, ya know?"

The older male raised his eyebrows a bit before relaxing into the drive. "I wish I had the fortune to say that myself…"

"It takes practice. Took me years to figure out I was lucky." The teen leaned back in his seat. "You need a little misfortune to really appreciate what you have. When I say I'm lucky, I only mean it in the way that I've been able to discern that little known fact."

"That's certainly an interesting way of looking at it… You have a good sense of enlightenment." Link smirked a little to himself. He was talking to Allen Walker. Actually talking to him! A real conversation… "People like you aren't common…"

"Hehe, neither are costumers who just up and offer me rides."

Link glanced a look at his cargo and caught Allen twisting a wry grin in his direction. "I just… I had the night off so…"

"Oh, really? Do you offer rides to everyone when you have the night off?"

The older swallowed. "Well I… You wait on me so often I just.."

"It's my job, I have to wait on you. Besides you sit in my section every time, what else would I do?" The waiter crossed his arms. "Ever consider that? Come on, admit I'm special."

Link felt his mouth go dry. This had escalated way out of hand.. "I.. I mean you're… It's like…" He tried to work his mouth but his brain was so scrambled the rest of him couldn't move properly. "I uh.. Maybe I-"

"LOOK OUT-!"

He had a brief glance of headlights speeding towards him from Allen's side of the car and heard the crunch of metal to metal before his vision went black.

OOOOOOOOoooooooooooOOOOOOOoo ooooooOOOOOOOOOOOooooooOOOOO ooo.

"Oh come on, Al. The dude obviously digs you." Lavi clapped his white haired friend on the back, giving a cocky grin. "Why else would he sit in your section every single time like constant fuckin' clockwork?"

Allen shoved the red head off of him playfully. "Maybe he just likes to sit there! It's not like he ever says anything more than a few words to me anyways. He's just a nice costumer."

"Who tips mad fat? Jesus man, you're so blind sometimes." Lavi jumped in front of the sixteen year old. "Nice guy comes into your restaurant every time he has a break, yeah? Sits in your section every single time. When he leaves he gives you a tip equal to the amount he paid. Don't you think there's something there, pal?"

"Nice people exist, Lavi." Allen rolled his eyes.

"Not like that. Listen, I study people, hell it's my fuckin' major to study people and their behaviors! Nice people exist, but not often, and when they are nice there's often some sort of return policy they're looking for. This guy probably wants your dick, Al."

"You can be a real savage sometimes, you know that?" Allen readjusted his bag and kept trekking forward, attempting to out walk his occasionally vile friend. "I gotta go to work now, so just wait for me after and we'll hang, alright?"

"You walkin' in the dark doesn't sit well with me, yo. What if bad shit happens?" Lavi cut the younger off, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What if I never get to see your shining face again?" The older pulled a pouty lip and fawned an expression of sadness.

"Grow up, Junior." Allen laughed. He walked around his friend and started his trek once more. "Try not to cause any trouble while I'm gone. I'll only be at work for a few hours, Drama Queen!"

OOOOOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOOOOoooo oOOOOOOOOOooooOOOOOOOOOooo.

Howard Link was a simple man. He didn't ask for much. He didn't want much. There were certain things he really didn't want though, things he would have avoided at all costs. As his eyelids fluttered open to the smell of gasoline and burnt rubber, he knew this was one of those things.

He coughed, feeling a deep pain within his chest. Everything hurt, his head in particular which pounded like a heavy drum. His vision started to come into focus: the broken glass, the bent metal, the… Oh God…

He forced himself up, feeling a rush of dizziness swimming within his skull. The seatbelt constricted him back and he felt himself struggling to undo it. His fingers fumbled messily to unhinge the damned device, made slippery by a wet substance he couldn't see. The blond could feel his breathing with each intake of air scraping against the walls of his throat and lungs, a ragged whine accompanying it. The fuzziness wouldn't leave his head and shaking it only made the throbbing worse so that now it was nigh unbearable.

He tried opening the door but found it impossible. Was something blocking it or…? He relented a groan and turned to try to exit the other side. Something was in his way again though… Who was..? Was it-?

"Al..len.." The name left his mouth and he felt himself freeze. "Oh God no… Please, God.." He leaned over to the passenger seat, taking the boy's face into his hands. "Allen, wake up… Allen…!"

Silver-grey eyes opened slowly to look up to him. A feeble moan burbled through fresh blood breaching the teen's lips, dribbling down his chin to his throat and chest below. Link traced the trail of liquid to the epicenter of the damage. His voice choked in his throat and he struggled to swallow. Dark red blood spread throughout Allen's lower torso, turning the crisp white waiter's shirt beneath the black coat into a drenched mess. Entangled with flesh and fabric resided large cuts of glass sticking out every which way. Upon further notice Link could see smaller versions jutting out al over the teen's body and his own, though he couldn't be bothered with that now.

"Allen, can you hear me?"

"Unh…" The waiter appeared to have a hard time keeping his eyes on any one thing, letting them roll off to the side.

"I'm calling an ambulance, ok? Just hold on… Please hold on…" He ravaged his pockets to successfully find his phone, undamaged slight for a spider web crack spreading across the monitor. His other hand kept to Allen's, holding it to keep track of the pulse. The blond dialed 911 and listened for the tone, feeling an unknown held breath release upon hearing a voice on the other side.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"Hello? I've just been in a car wreck off Holly street! Someone's been injured badly, please bring an ambulance… And hurry, please! I can't see the person that hit me anywhere-" He peered out the window, double checking but seeing no trace of the individual he had been hit by.

"Sir, calm down we'll be on our way."

"Ok, just… Please, please hurry!" He hung up the phone and went back to Allen. "Allen, can you hear me? Respond!"

The teen peered up at him with clear eyes for the first time since Link had seen him awaken. "I…"

"Shh. Don't say anything, ok? Just hang tight. I called an ambulance, you're going to be ok, I promise. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean… This wasn't supposed to happen…" He was rambling, though what else he could do remained unclear to him. What was he supposed to say? The one time he tries something new, to just get the person he was interested in to notice him… Why did this have to happen?

"It's… ok." Allen looked into him, eyes shining despite the obvious pain he was in. "Before all this… I actually had… A nice time…"

"I told you to cut it out!" Link couldn't fight the panic starting to overwhelm him. "You'll be ok… You'll be ok…" He held the face he had never dreamed of touching within his palms, desperately trying to rub life into the boy with his thumbs.

"Thanks."

The smile on Allen's face faded and his silver eyes closed. There was a noticeable slack in the waiter's body, like the difference between carrying a sack of freshly pick flowers to carrying a sack of rocks of the same weight.

"Allen…? Allen, no! No, no, no… No, please no… Allen…" He was shaking the boy at this point, grasping at any sign of life he could find. Warmth was fading fast however, and no manner of rubbing was bringing it back. "Christ-! Come back…! ALLEN!" The blonde's bottom lip trembled as he shakily pulled back and resumed his seat. His head fell forward onto the steering wheel and he started to pull at his long hair which had become disheveled in the blow. He inhaled noisily, letting the breath out in sobbing gasps. "Fuck… Fuck, FUCK!" He slammed the horn, releasing a loud wail into the night air. "This wasn't supposed to happen… I'm so sorry, Allen… I should have… I should have just let you walk… I should have just let you go-!" He didn't care about the pain in his chest anymore, or the throbbing in his head, or the glass in his skin which caused him to bleed onto the new upholstery of his now destroyed car. He didn't care about anything. Not anymore. Why had he been the one to live? Why couldn't that damned hit and run bastard hit his side of the car? Why did a car have to hit them at all?

His body felt numb, like he had been stung by a giant bee and left there in tingly agony. He tried to open his door again, but to no avail. This time he braced himself against his seat, deciding to kick his way out. He couldn't stay in here… Not with Allen… Not with this body… He kicked out as hard as he could, sensing the door give a little. Desperation fired his system up with uncharacteristic strength, and he found himself pounding the door open with all his might. Link didn't know how many times it took for the entrance to finally be accessible to him, but he was just grateful to tumble out of his totaled car and fall onto the asphalt below.

The man sobbed into the ground before struggling to get up. Where was he going to go? Should he wait here for the ambulance? He listened for any sign of sirens to no avail. What now…? Link staggered onto his feet, ignoring the pain that screamed at him to sit back down. He stumbled off the road and onto a bit of grass that grew beside the road and headed into the yawning darkness of tall trees.

He had no idea where to go, what to do, what was right, what was wrong… He had no idea why he was even heading into these woods. He didn't stop though, and continued to follow a trail bordered by grisly thorn bushes. For some reason he kept thinking about nightshade… Nightshade grew here, right? He could eat poison and repent for what he had just done. He should have known not to touch something so pure. He tainted it. He fucked it up, just like everything else. Why did he even try? He didn't deserve to remain breathing while the most beautiful soul he had ever set eyes on lay rotting in the ruins of his car.

Link tripped over a wayward branch and tumbled back down to earth. Instead of getting up he decided to just lay there, staring at the wisps of grass illuminated by the light of the moon. He should just lay here and die. What could possibly come after this? How could he even live with himself…?

Howard Link was a simple man. A simple man who had wanted only to spend a single night with the only person he had ever had what he could relate as romantic feelings for. One night. One conversation. Maybe when he had let Allen out of the car, the teen would have said goodnight. Maybe after that Link would have offered rides every Friday night. Allen would have said that was nice, and Link would have driven back home with his heart in his throat and dreams of sweet fantasies. Maybe the next time he had picked Allen up, they would have ended up holding hands, maybe Link would actually walk Allen to his door… Maybe eventually they would have kissed and fallen in love and…

Maybe?

Never.

Allen Walker was fucking dead and it was all his fault. Against his will his heart continued to beat within his chest, surmounting to the pain of his collection of physical and emotional wounds. He was a monster. Allen would have been safe just walking home. He had lured the boy in with falsity of safety and gotten him killed.

"Are you dead?"

Link froze, unsure of who the voice belonged to.

"If you're still alive, can you move your right hand? Just a little?"

What was the point of this? He wiggled a few fingers on his right hand.

"Oh good! I was worried, you look really bent out of shape there, bud!" Link felt strong arms pick him up by the elbows and lean him upright. He came face to face with a pale skinned man with wild black hair. "Jesus! What the hell happened to you?"

Link stayed silent, seeing no point in conversing with the black-clad crazy man.

"Oh I see, are you unable to speak?"

Link resumed his quiet.

"Got it. Alrighty, well mind if I take you to the hospital?"

Link shoved the man off of him. He would be taken to no such establishment.

"Hey, wait up!" The man jogged a half circle until L ink was once again staring the man in those dark eyes. "I'm just trying to help! Do you not want help?"

"I don't." Link croaked out and marched around the strange individual so he could continue his saunter into the woods.

"Well why not?"

"I just don't."

"Why?"

Link turned on the man, who had apparently been trailing practically right behind him. "Because." He pushed his annoying new companion to the side, not feeling up to dealing with obnoxious people. "I deserve to rot."

"Ooooh, that's pretty harsh. You sayin' that cuz you killed the kid back there?"

Link felt his heart turn to ice. "What."

"The kid. In your car? Which you left? Come on, you think I of all people wouldn't know?" The man struck a pose with his hand on his hip, grinning like a moron.

Link had nothing to say. How did this guy know? Was he already in the news? 'Big, Corporate Idiot Gets Innocent Teenage Waiter Killed in Crash?' He took a few steps back, a rising sense of fear surging within his throat and leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. "How did…? Who are you-?"

The man stepped forward, being sure to get right up and personal with Link's face. "Why, Howard Link, don't you know an angel when you see one?" Eye of the corner of his eye shapes took unclear form, but for a moment the blond saw the shadowy stretch of feather wings plume from behind the darkly clothed man. He hadn't even noticed the lack of color scheme until now, black everywhere, he even wore black gloves to cover his hands… He fell back, wondering if by some strange twist of fate this is what he got for walking the leash to Allen's death. He stared wide eyed, his pupils glued to where the man- or otherwise- stood.

"Are… Are you here to redeem me…?" He blurted out without thinking.

The man started laughing, hitting his knee with a gloved hand. "Now, now! I'm not any silly old angel, I don't do all the holy biz that God gets all uppity about. No, no, I'm far more interesting, and here's why:" Link shrank back a little as once again his face was given no personal space. "I can give you a second chance."

"A second…?" The blond blinked, wondering what that could entail. "What do you mean a second chance… Can you… Can you bring-?" He swallowed. His voice had minimized to nothing more than a choked up whisper. "Can you bring Allen back?"

The man grinned something devious and stood back up to tower over Link. "Well, well, well. That may in fact be possible for me, my good lad! Oh man… But something like that would uh… Well it's gonna cost you."

Link found himself groveling before the man, clinging to his pant-legs and feeling a hope sear his heart. "Anything you want! It doesn't matter, I'll give anything…"

"Your soul?"

Link let go of the clothing, a slight shock paling his face. "I… my soul? My soul can bring Allen back…?" He stared down at the grass, feeling the energy pulse from the man. "So if I go to hell, then Allen can live a normal life, right…?"

"Absolutely! Get this, you'll even get the end of your life-span before I come and drag you down to the ovens! Whaddya say, pal?" The angel raised his eyebrows and extended a hand to help the blond up.

Link accepted and gazed into the dark tresses of the man's eyes. "I'll do it. I'll do whatever it takes, just bring him back, alive and healthy again. Please…"

The man grinned and patted the mortal on the shoulder. "Shake on it and we have ourselves a deal!"

Without hesitation Link grabbed the supposed angels hand and shook, a feeling of both dread and hope filling his senses. "That's it, then? Allen will come back?"

"And you'll go to hell when you die, but hey who's keeping score? You'll get what you want, and I'll get what I want. I love it when everybody wins!" the man turned on his heel and made to walk into the forest before stopping again. "Oh! Just so you know, it takes a little while for things to kick in, yeah? But I promise by the third day, Allen Walker will walk the earth again just as he did before. So don't freak out when he's still dead in your car for the night, it's only temporary!"

As the man made to leave once more Link ran up and stopped him. "Wait! Is it.. Do angels have names…? Sorry, I'm just curious as to who I'm giving my soul to is all…"

"No worries, my good man! That is perfectly acceptable." The man straightened up and gave an impish grin. "My name is Neah Walker, and I'm the Angel of Death."

OOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOOOoooo ooOOOOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOOo o.

Lavi sat in his chair, staring at the ceiling fan as it made its regular cycle. Over and over, nothing but circles that chased after each other, one after another. His eye focused on one particular panel, following it in its rotation until he felt dizzy and took a break only to end up doing it again.

Allen was dead. His friend had apparently gotten in the car with some guy and been hit, but that driver fucker was still alive. What was his name… Dink? He couldn't remember, which was odd because he remembered everything. Why the fuck would Allen go alone home with a stranger? Well, he couldn't assume that… Maybe it was a co-worker of Allen's, he had never bothered to check. He'd only been able to watch the first few minutes on the news before having to turn it off. Glorified media portraying his friend's death like just another case of the willies made him sick to his stomach.

Apparently it was a hit and run, or so he was able to catch through his foggy delirium. Though traces of the other car were found, nothing that was salvaged remained capable of tracking the perpetrator. A guilty man would walk free, a random stranger would spend the rest of his life debating over what happened, and his best friend was fucking dead.

He took a swig of some hard alcohol none other than Kanda must have dropped off. Human beings were the scum of the earth. All of them, the whole lot were just a mass of growing mold, growing greedily and rotting all they touched. There were a few golden acceptances though, people who were genuinely concerned, or who were as close to selfless as being human would allow. Allen Walker was one of those people. And the world had ripped him from the earth and polished him off for the media like any other diamond.

His grandfather hadn't even bothered him for the last two days, as he had made himself especially difficult to deal with to make sure no one would mess with him. He'd cut it out soon enough and resume the daily façade that he called his life, but for now? Let a man mourn, why don't you? Today was the only school day he was missing, so what was the harm? After tonight he'd go back and shrug off all the annoying questions and apologies students would no doubt shove at him.

He was currently lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering how long it would take an asteroid to engulf the fucking planet in fire and chaos. Allen Walker dead? Destroy the Earth, it already crunched up the only worthy soul on it's crust. Well, maybe Lenalee deserved a shot… She was gossipy at times, but still kind and smart… Nah, blow it up.

A sudden knock at the door shook him from his destructive state, and he wondered if it was another media person looking for an interview. He had already made it clear he had absolutely no interest in such things, however they had a tendency of persistence. The knocking continued, and soon enough it became clear that no media dog would be willing to knock at the door for so long just for his attention. It was someone who wanted to see him, or maybe wanted Bookman (though those weren't common).Was it Lenalee? Maybe even Kanda? No, Kanda would have just broken in…

Curious as to why someone would be so enthusiast to talk to him, he rolled out of bed and staggered (admittedly he was a little drunk) to the door of his room. He descended the stairs and crossed the living room, walking over to peer through the eye-hole of the house entrance.

What-?

He stepped back a little, wondering if he was more drunk than he thought he was or seeing a ghost. An imposter maybe? To fuck with him?

He swung the door open and stared out at the entity before him. Neat, cleanly dressed, and standing as straight as ever, stood a white haired waitress with an upside-down cross and star scar running jagged down the left side of his face. Familiar gray eyes and the ugly left hand poking out from a crisp white sleeve made it official. He was either face to face with Allen Walker, or he was having some sort of awful trip.

"Jesus."

"Lavi?"

Fuck it was his voice, his actual voice…

"You're… You're really here…"

"Lavi…?" Again. Clear as a bell, it was really Allen's voice. "Lavi, what's wrong?"

It was too much. Someone was playing some sort of bullshit game with him. Allen wasn't really here, he couldn't be. The boy had been in a morgue, he had seen the kid's lifeless face staring back at him.

"You're dead. That's what's wrong."


End file.
